Food in Hazaribagh

Every region of Jharkhand is famous for their traditional delicious cuisines. Hazaribagh cuisines are simple yet nutritious and delicious. The staple food of the people of Hazaribagh is rice. Your trip to Hazaribagh is incomplete if you return without tasting the real flavors’ of this town. Bihari litti, Pitha, Suran chutney, and Khichri are some of the delicacies of this land. Daal(Pulses), Bhaat(Rice), Roti(Chhapati) and Alu Bhujiya( Oily Potato Chips) alongwith pickles and aromatic chutneys are much liked in Hazaribagh. Another food item used extensively are shrubs, which include Palak, Beng, Kataei, Gendhari, Saranti, Sunsunia, Koinar, methi, Bhathua, Sarso and Chana. Mushrooms are also the important part of the diet. Mushrooms are eaten both as fresh vegetable and dried Mushrooms.

Depending upon cultural diversities people here take both vegetarian and non – vegetarian food. Hazaribagh being a good tourist adobe, offers you a large variety of food. Be it traditional food or Chinese or South Indian all are available to satiate the taste of the visitors. The street food corners of Hazaribagh is very famous. They offer you early morning breakfast to late night dinners. Though the tribal food of Hazaribagh is hard to find in restaurants but can be found easily at popular roadside traditional eating outlets. You can taste these aromatic dishes in some tribal wedding or during important festivities.

People of Hazaribagh prefer less spices, the main constituent of their meals is rice. Some of the main dishes prepared using rice are Dhuska, Kera-Dudhauri, Khichri and Charpa etc. Flowers of drum-stick, August and Jhirool too are used as vegetables. Shrubs like bathua, palak, methi, saranti, gendheri, sunsunia, sarson, chana and beng are much liked. Mushrooms are also largely used as edibles. Kera-Dudhauri is made from milk, rice, ghee and gur while Dhuska is made using mashed rice and pulses. To make ''charpa'', Rice is mashed, fried and then mixed with some spices and vegetables . Hence the name follows viz. Sembi Charpa, Egg Charpa and many more depending upon the ingredient vegetable source. "Maad Jhor" another nutritious substitute for Daal is made by boiling saag in starch left after cooking rice. To make it more delicious flavour of Garlic fried in mustard oil is added. Khichri is prepared by mixing rice with yellow lentils. Khichdi is served with yoghurt, coriander chutney, ghee, papad and achar.

Another food item is dried Mushrooms which is dried and stored when mushrooms are found during rainy season in the forests. Fresh mashrooms are given local names as Bala Chhatu, Jamun Khukhdi etc. are also used in large amounts.Ghechu a local plant is used extensively and its starchy seed is roasted and taken as food by tribal people in Hazaribagh, the young shoot is used as a vegetable. The flower of same plant is used as flavoring agent. Singhada another plant is used as a fruit. Thali leaves are cooked and used as vegetable. It is very nutritive and has a very good taste. Sawala boiled with sesame seed is the most common appetizer.

Litti- Chhokha, Litti, Pittha are famous roadside available snacks in Hazaribagh. Other famous Chotangapuri snacks are Bada, Dhuska, Aaloo Chop, Kachri. Dhuska is made using mashed rice and pulses. To make ''charpa'', Rice is mashed, fried and then mixed with some spices and vegetables . Hence the name follows viz. Sembi Charpa, Egg Charpa and many more depending upon the ingredient vegetable source. Litti is prepared using wheat flour, 'sattu' and green chillies ground together. Separate dough balls are made and fried. These are served with aalu bharta.

Hazaribagh being a good tourist adobe offers a wide range of food. Varying from Italian pizza to American burger or some piping hot Chinese noodles, you can also enjoy all and more in Hazaribagh. North Indian delicacies like chaats and South Indian delights like dosas and vadas. Urban haat is one hot stop to satisfy your taste buds.You can pamper your self with a tasty, traditional and lip smacking food in Hazaribagh..

Hazaribagh is popular for its rich street food. The food here consist of both vegetarian and non
vegetarian food. Local breakfast consist of kachari sabji and jalebi. Bagheri(a small bird) jhor with
rice is the famous food of the people of Hazaribagh. Most famous snacks eaten here are the
chotangapuri snacks like bada, dhuska, aaloo chop, kachri. Litti Chokha is a famous local food
here.People here also go for non vegetarian food. The common non vegetarian food consists of kabab paratha with nehari and paya. The kabab you find in this area has a distinct taste not what you find in the northern region. Tikia (minced meat pressed together and fried) is also another important non vegetarian food taken by the people of hazaribagh.

Hazaribagh is famous for its rich variety of sweets. Most common are Til Barfi also known as tilkut. It is normally made during winters. It is prepared using grated coconut, seasame seed, sugar and ground nuts.Another relished dessert is pua and singal which is prepared using ripe bananas. Mitha Khaja is a sweet dish, generally prepared during festivals. Plain flour is kneaded with jaggery water and then fried. These are crispy and stay fresh for many days in air-tight containers.

Most of the popular Indian brands are available town in bars and specified shop. Some of very popular local drink, are handia and mahua. If you are not used to these drinks, it is better not to take them. Handiya,is named after the vessel (earthen pot) used to make it. It is made with rice or one can call it rice beer. Mahua is made from fruit/flowers of the "Mahua" tree.

There are many restaurants in the town. Urban haat being a famous food point. You can enjoy multi cuisine food in the restaurants of Hazaribagh. You can get both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food in these restaurants. Canary Inn , Upkar restaurant, prince restaurant are some famous restaurants in the city.